Douglas County Burn Ban: Stage 1 and 2 Rules and Penalties

A Douglas County burn ban comes in two tiers. Stage 1 prohibits open burning, consumer fireworks, and model rockets while still allowing propane grills, indoor fires, and small contained fires at developed sites. Stage 2 goes further, cutting out campfires, patio fire pits, chimineas, and professional fireworks displays. Violating either stage is a Class 2 petty offense with a fine of up to $1,000, and knowingly setting a fire during an active ban can be charged as a Class 6 felony under Colorado state law.¹²

What Stage 1 Prohibits

Stage 1 is the more common level and targets the highest-risk ignition sources. During Stage 1, the following are banned in unincorporated Douglas County:¹

Open burning of any kind, including brush piles, debris burning, and uncontained outdoor fires.
All consumer fireworks. Professional displays remain allowed under a separate state permit (CRS 12-28-103).
Model rocket launches.

What Stage 1 Still Allows

Several activities stay legal under Stage 1, and this catches people off guard:¹

Liquid- or gas-fueled stoves and grills with a shutoff valve.
Charcoal grills in developed residential or commercial areas.
Tiki torches, chimineas, and portable fireplaces at residences when supervised by someone at least 18.
Small recreational fires at developed picnic or campground sites, but only in fixed permanent metal or steel fire pits, with flames no taller than four feet. Rock fire rings don’t qualify as permanent.
Indoor wood-burning stoves and fireplaces.
Fire department suppression and training fires.

What Stage 2 Adds

Stage 2 activates during the most dangerous conditions, when even a supervised backyard fire is considered too risky. On top of everything already banned under Stage 1, Stage 2 also prohibits:¹

Professional fireworks displays. The Stage 1 exception is gone.
Chimineas, portable fireplaces, and patio fire pits, even with adult supervision.
Campfires at developed campgrounds or picnic areas. The permanent-fire-pit exception disappears.

What stays legal under Stage 2 is a shorter list: propane and natural gas devices (because they shut off instantly), charcoal grills at residences with adult supervision, indoor fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, and fire suppression or training operations.¹ Charcoal grills surviving Stage 2 at residential properties is worth noting. At a public park, campground, or picnic area, though, anything that isn’t gas-fueled is off limits.

Penalties

A violation of either Stage 1 or Stage 2 is a Class 2 petty offense under the county ordinance, with a fine of up to $1,000 plus a $10 surcharge.¹ That’s what most people face for burning debris or setting off fireworks during a ban.

The state-level exposure is much heavier. Colorado law imposes a mandatory fine between $250 and $1,000, which a court cannot waive or reduce, on anyone who knowingly sets a fire on someone else’s property or lets their fire spread to another person’s land. If the person knew or should have known they were violating an active fire ban issued by a government authority, the offense becomes a Class 6 felony.² A Class 6 felony carries one to eighteen months in prison, a mandatory one-year parole period, and fines from $1,000 to $100,000.³

Civil liability sits on top of the criminal side. Colorado law requires anyone who sets fire to woods or prairie and damages another person’s property to pay restitution. If an illegal fire triggers a wildfire response, suppression costs can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the person who started it can be billed for those costs in addition to any criminal penalties.

Exemptions

Not every fire during a ban period triggers criminal liability. Colorado’s felony statute carves out four categories that aren’t treated as offenses even when restrictions are active:²

Open burning done lawfully as part of agricultural operations.
State, municipal, or county fire management operations.
Lawfully conducted prescribed burns.
Activities done under the rules or policies of a relevant state, tribal, or federal regulatory agency.

These exemptions live in the state statute. The Douglas County ordinance may treat some situations differently, so agricultural operators and utility companies should confirm with the Sheriff’s Office before relying on a statutory exemption alone.

How To Check Whether a Ban Is Active

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office fire restrictions page shows whether the county is currently under Stage 1, Stage 2, or no restrictions.¹ The county government website posts announcements when restrictions go into effect or change.⁴ Road signs at major county entrances also display fire danger levels, useful if you’re driving through the foothills without cell service.

To report a violation, call the Sheriff’s non-emergency line at 303-660-7505 or the toll-free number 800-654-2733. For an active fire or immediate safety threat, call 911.¹

1
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Fire Restrictions
2
Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-13-109 – Firing Woods or Prairie
3
Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-1.3-401 – Felonies Classified Presumptive Penalties
4
Douglas County Colorado. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Place Beginning Dec. 15, 2025